Echoes of the Past
by Lightningfire.star
Summary: Fifty years after Firestar enters ThunderClan, the Dark Forest has taken its revenge and has eradicated StarClan. In this present, any cat who dies vanishes. Two apprentices will go on a quest to try and prevent this from happening. What they do not know is that going into the past can affect everyone's lives, and become a disaster more easily than they thought...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers! I know that my first story, The Flight of the Jay, hasn't been updated for weeks, but I had this story idea in my head, and I really wanted to write it. I'm so excited for this story, I plan on making it more than 50 chapters long, so well done if you stick to it all the way through!**

 **I thought about making a prologue, but it didn't fit well with the major plot so I started directly with chapter 1 ;)**

* * *

Chapter 1:

* * *

"Firepaw, from this moment you will be known as Fireheart. StarClan honours your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

* * *

A few dozen human years later...

* * *

"Quick! We need to tell Whitestar!" meowed a frantic ginger dappled apprentice to his fellow clanmate.

"Specklepaw, wait..." came the answer. "We cannot do that! If we tell him that StarClan no longer exists, the Clans will fall to pieces for sure!"

"I don't care!" cried the ginger tom to his friend. "ThunderClan is in danger! The Dark Forest is preparing an attack, and whoever dies will not come back again! We need to save them, no matter the cost!"

"But what if they attack all the Clans now?" hissed the she-cat, flipping her head around to look at Specklepaw straight in the eyes. "If we tell them that StarClan does not exist anymore, they won't fight back and the Clans will disappear!"

"Shut up!" yowled Specklepaw, anger visible in his blazing amber eyes. "Our loyalty is to ThunderClan! We must tell them! I don't care what happens to the other Clans. They can vanish for all I care! If we tell Whitestar, we might get a chance to evacuate the Clans and dispatch them so that the Dark Forest will not know who to attack."

"No! You cannot say that!" protested the she-cat. "There needs to be five Clans! Not a bunch of rogues dispatched around the territories. We need to preserve this! The Clans need to unite, or the Dark Forest will have achieved what they wanted to do in the first place, which is not kill off cats but the doom of the Clans!"

"But Whitestar needs to know," pleaded Specklepaw. "We are the only ones who discovered the secret. If we don't tell him, who knows what will happen? Two apprentices cannot save five whole Clans! The least we can do is save our families..."

"Specklepaw, listen," hissed the she-cat. "You know Whitestar as well as I. He will abandon the other Clans if we tell him! Oh, if only we had more time..." the she-cat stopped in her tracks. "Time..." she whispered suddenly.

"What is it?" murmured Specklepaw, padding towards his friend.

"Specklepaw... There is something... A secret I should have told you moons before," the she-cat meowed.

"Tell me. I swear I'll keep it tucked inside my head, and not let it escape for StarClan's sake," mewed Specklepaw, his past anger gone.

"StarClan doesn't exist anymore," cried the she-cat, remembering the fact to her friend. "I was afraid you wouldn't trust me, or think I was lying to you if I told you what it was," she added, turning back to the subject.

"Never!" meowed the tom, taken aback by her statement. "You know how I feel about you. I will always, always trust you."

"Thank you, it means a lot to me." The she-cat sighed. "There is a possibility, however small, to restore StarClan and prevent all this," she started. Already, Specklepaw's ears were straight and his eyes were gleaming again. "Don't have false hopes," she added, seeing his expression. "It may not work."

"I'm sure it will work," he meowed reassuringly. "But we don't have much time," he added more worriedly. "Tell me, quick."

"Well, when I was just a kit, an unknown force gave me two powers," the she-cat meowed. "The first one is quite simple: I have seen what all of my ancestors have seen, even before my birth."

"I... I don't understand," stammered Specklepaw, unsure to where this conversation was going.

"It is as if I was the reincarnation of all my ancestors together. I know the past. I have seen what they have witnessed," answered the she-cat.

"Does that mean that you know exactly what happened during the Great Journey or the Great Battle?"

"Precisely," nodded the she-cat. "I'll tell you more about our ancestors later though, I promise, but right now time is running short. My second power is dangerous, perhaps even more dangerous than the famous villains we have heard about when we were kits." Specklepaw was looking at his friend in awe as she explained her gifts to him. His eyes were wide, and his ears were pricked. He seemed to eat every single word she meowed.

"I have the power to go back in time."

Specklepaw's mouth dropped open at this. "Wait. What?" he meowed. Then, his face lit up. "But... But that's great! This is one of the best news I have heard since I was born! Maybe we can save the Clans like that! Go back in time a few seasons ago and find a way to save StarClan before the Dark Forest eradicates them!"

"I thought about that," sighed the she-cat, her bushy tail dropping to the ground. "But no, this won't work."

"Why?" Specklepaw's face looked crestfallen.

"The reason why the Dark Forest won in the first place is because they worked in a group. By saving StarClan, we will just put off the fatal day, and everything will start over again. A long time ago, cats in the Place of No Stars used to fend for themselves and leave the others alone. The only way to stop them allying with each other is only by going back in time a little before they start recruiting living cats and working in a group. And this is a very, VERY long time ago," meowed the she-cat.

But Specklepaw did not seem bothered by this. "This is fine! We just need to go back in time, work out a plan, prevent the Dark Forest from having this idea and go back to the present, where peace there will be!" Specklepaw was jumping up and down like a crazy apprentice, as if the problem had already been solved.

"Ah, but no," murmured the she-cat sadly. "Going back in time had consequences. If we do, we won't be able to go back to the present. We will be stuck in the past, with no way to return. The only advantage we will have is that we will not age until we come back to the current present. By this time, the course of the events will have changed, and there will be a new us. When the exact time of our trip to the past arrives, we will merge with our new selves and have our past and present's memories and lives. Until then, those who know us cannot see us, or there will be very grave consequences."

"I understand," whispered Specklepaw, nodding in agreement. "I am willing to do this for our Clan, for our families. Even if it means living ten times as much as an average cat. Too many innocent lives have already been snatched away and there are many more on the list. We need to do that, or we will all disappear at the claws of the Dark Forest, and never come back."

"I agree," nodded the she-cat. "We don't have much of a choice, and we are the only ones who can do that. We will go back in time. We need to. The Dark Forest cats could be attacking at any moment now, and we must not be killed."

Specklepaw nodded solemnly, shaking a little at the thought of never seeing his family again for hundreds of moons. The she-cat seemed to guess what he was thinking because she softened at once. "I'm sorry Specklepaw. I badly want to see my parents once more too, but it would be better if we didn't see our families before going," she meowed. "Now, you just need to be in contact with me when I will activate my power," she added, turning serious again. "We are going some six hundred moons in the past."

The she-cat closed her eyes, and Specklepaw did the same. A few heartbeats later, they were gone.

* * *

This present no longer existed. The time had been reset, some fifty human years ago.

* * *

 **Hope you liked the first chapter! XD**

 **For those who would like a little summary: 50 years after Firestar enters ThunderClan, the Dark Forest has taken its revenge and has eradicated StarClan. In this present, any cat who dies vanishes. Specklepaw and his friend (you'll know her name in the next chapter) plan on going back in the past and change the course of the events...**

 **Please review, it helps a lot!**

 **-Lightning**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the long-awaited chapter 2!**

 **I am very sorry for the delay, and I hope that this longer chapter will make up for it!**

 **Reviews (wow, 8 reviews already?!):**

 **"Cloudy Dreamcatcher" - Thank you so much! It means a lot to me ;)**

 **"Pixelfun20" - Thank you! I can't say where the she-cat received her power yet, but it's definitely not from StarClan. Since she knows she has this power since she was born, she already used it multiple times, but for minor things (for example, saving someone who dies crushed by a tree). Her power is a sort of intuition, she just knows how to use it and what it does.**

 **"Emberflame" - Thanks! I didn't really know how to start the story, but at some point the complicated details were going to appear, so I decided to just put everything in Chapter one. Sorry if it was a little confusing at first! XD**

 **"Blue741776" - I love the original plot too, but this story will change things a little... I hope you'll like it anyways!**

 **"FlareOfTheMidnightPanther" - Thank you! ;)**

 **"A Sky Of Blazing Stars" - Yep, this story will have a lot of suspense XD And no, Whitestar's warrior name is not Whitestorm. The beginning of this story is in a very distant future, and the past happened just like the original series (until both apprentices go into the past). So Whitestorm died like he died in the battle against Scourge and everything else happened like the original plot. Whitestar is just the name of the ThunderClan leader some 50 years after Firestar's death. He's not really important in the story though, I doubt you'll hear about Whitestar again ;)**

 **"Tigerflight" - Aww, thank you so much!**

* * *

Chapter 2:

The she-cat staggered as she touched the ground. Scanning her surroundings, she checked that they were at the exact same place as before.

Indeed, the same trees were looming over them, the same bramble bushes were surrounding them, the only difference being the weather and the blossoming trees.

"Specklepaw, open your eyes!" she meowed to her friend, prodding at his side with her forepaw. "We did it! We managed to go back in time!" she yowled excitedly.

Specklepw slowly blinked open his eyes and looked around, making sure that they were definitely in another time period.

"This is great," he purred, brushing his pelt against hers. "Now, we have all the time we want to change our future."

But the she-cat did not seem as sure as her friend. "Hang on a moment," she meowed, squinting her eyes as if she was looking for something.

"What is it?" inquired the golden-pelted tom.

"Shhh!" hissed the she-cat. "I need to concentrate." The time seemed to drag on as he she-cat stood, listening to any sounds she could hear.

"This is it!" she meowed suddenly, her happy face becoming grave again. "Can you hear anything, Specklepaw?" she asked her friend.

Specklepaw's brow furrowed as he perked his ears. "No," he answered, after a moment of hesitation.

"Yes! This is exactly what I mean!" cried the she-cat. "We can hear nothing! We are supposed to be on Clan territory, right? And Clans make a lot of noise. Well, remember the Great Journey? The Clans lived in the old forest at this precise time, and I completely missed this detail! We are by the lake, which is sunrises away from the Clan's original territory! Why haven't I thought about that?"

"Oh," murmured Specklepaw. "I see the problem. But will a moon's delay really change our plans?"

"Yes!" wailed the she-cat. "In a few sunrises, one of the most famous villains known in our history will commit his first murder. We need to prevent this from happening! Look, Specklepaw. I have a lot of things to tell you. You have no idea how many things we need to prevent from happening. And I need to brief you on today's history."

"Oh no," answered Specklepaw. "Can't you go into the past again to give us one more moon to arrive to the forest?"

"No," replied the she-cat. "I can only go into the past when I have merged with my own self, which will be in six hundred moons."

"Well, we'd better get going then, if we want to arrive as soon as possible."

"You're right," sighed the she-cat. "Let's go, and I'll tell you everything while we walk."

* * *

Specklepaw nodded, and twitched his ears to show that he was listening. Both cats turned around and padded alongside each other, headed towards WindClan territory. The she-cat gave one last look at her home before turning her head towards the sun in determination.

"I'll start with our ancestry first," she meowed to Specklepaw as they neared the ThunderClan border. "You may not know it, Specklepaw, but we are very very very distant cousins. I give you three guesses to find our last common ancestor."

Specklepaw frowned, then lifted his head to look at the she-cat. "Dawnfrost?"

"Good guess, but no," purred the she-cat. "Dawnfrost was your great great great grandmother, and it doesn't surprise me that you would think of her. She did, after all, save the Clans from great trouble. Specklepaw, our last common ancestor lived way before Dawnfrost, and you know him by name."

"How can I know him if he lived that long ago?" muttered Specklepaw. "I have no idea. Go on, tell me."

"Sure. His name was Firestar, and his mate was Sandstorm."

"Firestar... This name definitely reminds me of something," thought Specklepaw aloud.

"Of course it does you stupid furball!" laughed the she-cat. "Firestar was the cat who saved the Clans so many times that ever our elders couldn't remember everything he had done!"

"Yes, I see who he is now!" exclaimed Specklepaw, his eyes brightening. "Is he really my great great great great grandfather or something?"

"Yes," purred the she-cat.

"Wow, this is amazing! This is truly amazing!" he meowed, tail high in the air.

"To make things more precise, Firestar and Sandstorm are your seven times great grandparents and my six times great grandparents," meowed the she-cat. "They had two daughters. The first one, Leafpool, had three kits. One of them, Lionblaze, had a kit who had a kit who had a kit who had a kit who had a kit who had your mother, Stormcry, who had you with Shadeclaw. Leafpool's sister, Squirrelflight, had a kit, Sparkpelt, who had a kit who had a kit who had a kit who had a kit who had my father, Flameheart, who had me with Echowhisp," the she-cat meowed, out of breath.

"That was a mouthful!" she added after a few heartbeats, laughter sparkling in her eyes.

Specklepaw was speechless. "I didn't get everything, but I have a little idea of our ancestry now," he meowed after a moment. Then, his eyes flicked to where they now stood. "We are in WindClan territory now," he meowed. "Isn't it good to be able to trespass on the other Clan's territory without being attacked?" he added, looking at his friend.

"True," purred the she-cat. "Now, let me continue. Right now, Firestar is alive, and is approximately six moons old. However, he had not arrived to ThunderClan yet."

"What do you mean by that?" meowed Specklepaw, startled.

"Don't you remember? Snowpelt told us Firestar's story when we were kits. Firestar was a kittypet before he became a Clan cat, and entered ThunderClan when he was six moons old. His old name was Rusty, but I am the only one who knows that, thanks to my power."

"Oh yes, I remember now."

"So, in about two or three sunrises, Rusty will become Firepaw. Nevertheless, on this precise day, a horrible cat named Tigerclaw will murder Redtail, ThunderClan's deputy, in order to become the next leader of ThunderClan. This was the murder we needed to prevent," meowed the she-cat.

Specklepaw nodded in understanding and flicked his ears to show his friend he was listening.

"I will go into all the further details tomorrow, because you need to know the Clan's allegiances. ThunderClan is now under the reign of Bluestar, a very well known she-cat durning this time period. Redtail is her deputy, but after his murder, a cat named Lionheart will replace him. RiverClan's leader and deputy are Crookedstar and Oakheart, but this last one will die the same day as Redtail. He will be replaced by a she-cat named Leopardfur. WindClan lived under Tallstar and Deadfoot, while ShadowClan lives under Brokenstar and Blackfoot."

"Wait a second for me to assimilate all that," laughed Specklepaw. "I have a slower memory than you!"

"Just for you to know, Redtail is Sandstorm's father, and therefore is from our family," meowed the she-cat after a moment. "Tell me when you get everything secured in your memory," she added, purring.

"I got it now, thanks," he purred back.

"So, as I was saying, Brokenstar is the actual leader of ShadowClan. He is one of the most villain cats in the Clan's history, but I'll go into details later too," she meowed, looking at Specklepaw in the eyes.

By this time, both cats were already way past the WindClan and RiverClan border. The lake was just a small glittering surface in the distance.

"The sun is setting," noted Specklepaw, blinking as the last rays of sunlight pierced his eyes. "We need to eat, and find a place to rest."

"True," agreed the she-cat. "Let's walk a little further and find somewhere to sleep in the forest we can see there." She pointed her tail in front of them, where they could see a few trees, changing them from the vast moor they were on. "We'll fell more at home."

Together, the apprentices walked up to the edge of the emerald green forest.

"I'll go and hunt," meowed the she-cat to Specklepaw. "Try to find someplace safe to stay for the night."

"Fine," he meowed. "Meet me here when the sun will have completely set."

The she-cat nodded and padded into the forest. _The prey will probably be_ _plentiful here, as there aren't many predators like Specklepaw and I,_ thought the she-cat. Lifting her eyes, she spotted a squirrel nibbling a nut beside a tree. Smiling, the she-cat silently dropped into the hunter's crouch, and padded towards it. A few fox lengths behind the ginger rodent, she leaped and swiftly killed it, before it could react.

"That was a fine catch," the she-cat meowed to herself. "I just need to find another one like that and we'll be full for a whole day!" she smiled, thinking about how round Specklepaw's belly would look after this meal.

A few heartbeats later, a plump mouse was in her jaws, its body limp as the she-cat held it by its tail. She padded confidently through the forest, and laid her prey to her paws as she arrived at their meeting place. The sun wasn't down yet, but the sky was already starting to become darker, and shades of orange and red mingled with light blue.

"Specklepaw, here you are!" she finally meowed as her friend approached her. "Have you found us someplace to sleep?"

"Yes," he purred, flicking his tail happily. "Follow me, I found a small cave not so far from here that will make us feel just at home."

The she-cat purred in response and took her prey in her jaws as she rose. Both cats walked a little and Specklepaw stopped beside a gurgling stream with flowers growing near it. In front of them was a little cave which was hidden behind a bramble bush.

"Here it is," meowed the yellow tom, pointing his tail to the cave. "It's hidden, small and secure. Isn't it great?"

"Of course," answered the she-cat, placing her prey down. "Let's eat what I have caught, and then rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Definitely. Can I have the mouse? I'm not that hungry you know." He lifted his golden eyes to look at his friend.

"I know you Specklepaw," laughed the she-cat. "Did you really think that I would believe you? You're always hungry! I don't mind taking the mouse. I hate squirrel fur!"

"Fine," laughed Specklepaw, defeated. "I'll take the squirrel. But don't think that I will always take the bigger prey! Tomorrow, you will be stuffed by the biggest rabbit in the world!"

"Oh, really?" snickered the she-cat, rolling on her belly. "You weren't that great a rabbit hunter in ThunderClan!"

"I'll prove you wrong, you'll see!" he meowed, jumping on her and pinning her to the ground. Amber eyes met green, and both cats stared at each other, entranced in the other's gaze. The she-cat stared at Specklepaw, his blazing yellow dappled fur shining in the last rays of the sun.

"I love you Specklepaw," she murmured, looking at him with honest, deep green eyes.

"And I love you, Thunderpaw," he answered, curling up beside her. "Forever and always."

* * *

 **Here is the end of Chapter 2...**

 **So, what do you think about the she-cat's name? XD**

 **I'll try to update as soon as possible, but no promises... And for those who are wondering: I am not abandoning The Flight of the Jay ;) I am just taking a little break from it by continuing Echoes of the Past.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter! Please review! ;)**

 **~Lightning**


	3. Chapter 3

**It has been a long time, I'm sorry. But here is Chapter 3, finally! (It's a little longer than usual, yay!)**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Blue741776" - Thank you! I love the fact that they are in love too XD They're so cute!**

 **"Emberflame" - Thanks! The story is a little complicated, and basically Thunderpaw thought that Redtail's death needed to be prevented so that they could try to turn Tigerclaw to a nice cat (which obviously won't** **happen). Initially, she thought that by preventing him from killing, they would succeed in making him realise that this isn't the good option. To answer your question about Mapleshade: I agree, she was the first one to recruit living cats, but not to take revenge on StarClan. Only on Shellheart's family. Tigerclaw-star is the one who taught the Dark Forest to work in a group, and he and Hawkfrost were the ones to start the Great Battle (with Brokenstar too). But this is a little complicated, I agree XD Feel free to ask me any other questions if this is not clear! :)**

* * *

Chapter 3:

It was nearly sunset when Thunderpaw and Specklepaw spotted Highstones for the first time. The sun was slowly going down, the sky darkening as it set. The red, orange and blue slowly mingled with each other, creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

"Specklepaw, we are nearly there," whispered Thunderpaw to her friend. She pointed her tail towards Highstones. "This is Highstones, where cats share tongues with StarClan. The Moonstone is inside, and lights up every night, at moonhigh," she murmured.

The journey had gone smoothly. They hadn't met any rogues and only once ran away from a disturbed dog. Specklepaw and Thunderpaw hadn't stopped walking, except for the night, and both were now very tired. Licking his sore pads, Specklepaw nodded, enjoying the calmness of the evening. Thunderpaw had told him everything: he now knew the events of their past by heart.

"We won't enter the Clans now," added Thunderpaw. "It will be better during the day, when everyone is awake, and we still have a little distance to walk."

"Of course," answered the golden tom. "I understand." Specklepaw waited for a few seconds, and lifted his head, stopping grooming himself for a heartbeat. "How will we get into ThunderClan anyway? We can't tell them we're future ThunderClan kits..."

"Yes, I thought about that," meowed the she-cat. "Well, the only solution is this: we'll say we are rogues, and that we go by the names of Speckle and Thunder. They're bound to give us our real names when we become apprentices anyways."

"But how will they accept us?" insisted Specklepaw. "I know that Bluestar is leader, but still. What if Firepaw is enough for her?"

"She won't refuse us, I know it," meowed Thunderpaw. "Besides, the prophecy is about fire, and we both look like Firestar. This will send her doubts about the prophecy. She might even think it means us!"

"Probably," smirked Specklepaw. "I hadn't thought about that!"

"The only important thing is that they may never know our real origins. It would be a disaster if some cat discovered it," added Thunderpaw. "We need to disguise ourselves as rogues, completely. We need to sound ignorant of Clan ways, and ask cats about it, or they will wonder where we learned everything. Nevertheless, we can be as good as we were back in our future: we were going to be warriors! I don't want to wait much longer," she sighed, putting her head on Specklepaw's shoulders.

"I know," he answered. "We were probably going to become warriors by the next couple of sunrises, but that won't ever happen. Even if we're really good and 'learn really fast' the Clan ways, we won't be able to become warriors before the next moon at least. They need to trust us, but we're old enough to have learned many things before. Firestar was only six moons old when he entered ThunderClan! We are twelve."

"Yes, you're right," sighed Thunderpaw. "We will have to wait, then."

"Anyways, where are we in History right now?" inquired Specklepaw.

"Well, obviously, Redtail already died, and Lionheart is deputy right now. We are probably just a few days after Firepaw entered ThunderClan. Maybe three or four days," answered Thunderpaw, looking at her friend with huge, green eyes.

Specklepaw looked at Thunderpaw in awe. The she-cat was really beautiful in the late sunlight. Her dark ginger pelt shone like a million stars, and her green eyes sparkled like a cascade of jade.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she laughed, swatting his ear gently with her paw.

Specklepaw easily dodged, and pounced on her. Thunderpaw did not attempt to escape. "You are the most beautiful she-cat I have ever met," he finally meowed, amber eyes locked with hers.

Thunderpaw blushed. "I love you too, furball," she laughed. Suddenly, she sprang to her paws, unbalancing Specklepaw easily. Taking the chance that he was disoriented, she jumped and pinned him to the ground. "Who wins, now?" she meowed, head tilted to one side.

"You were always the better fighter anyways!" answered the golden dappled tom.

"And?"

"And hunter!" he added, laughing. Both cats stayed like that before settling down next to each other. The sun had nearly disappeared in the horizon, but the orange and red still hung to the sky.

"Look," murmured Thunderpaw, pointing a paw to the sky. "The orange is you, and the red is me. The blue is StarClan, and they will always be watching over us."

"Yes, they will always be watching over us," Specklepaw meowed, suddenly growing very tired. A huge yawn escaped from his jaws, and he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

...

"Specklepaw, wake up, we need to go," came a voice.

Specklepaw slowly raised his head, still groggy from sleep. "Whaaaat?" he meowed, blinking to erase the blurry pictures his eyes were assembling together.

"Oh, come on you lazy tom," meowed the voice. "You can't sleep all day! Have you forgotten our mission?"

Shaking himself to flatten his fur gotten messy in his sleep, Specklepaw came face to face with an annoyed but amused Thunderpaw.

"You were always a late sleeper, Specklepaw," she meowed. "I now understand why you fell asleep on every dawn patrol!"

"Shut up," he meowed playfully. "You aren't better: you wake up too early and annoy every other sleeping cat near you!"

Thunderpaw half growled, half laughed, before regaining her usual calm and pointing her tail towards Highstones. "We need to go now," she meowed. "It's dawn already and we have quite a long way to go. If we're lucky and don't come across any enemy patrols, we might arrive at sunhigh."

"Let's no wait much longer then," answered Specklepaw, his tiredness gone. "I'm following you."

Both cats set up the pace, quickly passing a huge meadow with fluffy white sheep, which were slowly eating grass. "Wow, what are these?" inquired Specklepaw, scanning the white crowd with huge amber eyes.

Thunderpaw purred. "These are sheep," she answered. "The Clans saw them for the first time during the Great Journey."

"Sheep," murmured Specklepaw. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

Lost in his thoughts, Specklepaw did not notice when they arrived at Highstones. Already, the meadow was being replaced by a rocky surface. Silver stones glinted in the sunlight, making it hard for the apprentices to distinguish WindClan territory with all this light.

Suddenly, Thunderpaw stopped. "Specklepaw, this is where medicine cats and leaders share tongues with StarClan," she meowed, pointing her tail to a small entrance leading to a cave. "The Moonstone is there," she added.

"Oh! The name looks like our Moonpool!" noticed Specklepaw.

"Well, they have the same function anyways, so yes," nodded Thunderpaw. Do you know that your ancestor, Leafpool, was the one to discover the Moonpool back near the lake?"

"Yes," purred Specklepaw. "I'm not completely ignorant! I know the cat who discovered the Moonpool of course! And she was named after it."

"Well, here, it was Moth Flight who discovered the Moonstone. She was the first medicine cat ever in our history and was the one who helped the leaders get their nine lives and everything else in relation with the Moonstone," mewed Thunderpaw. "Isn't it extraordinary?"

"Yeah," muttered Specklepaw, lost in his thoughts once again. They walked again in silence, pressing themselves against each other from time to time. Finally, they arrived near a Thunderpath.

"You probably don't know what these are," meowed Thunderpaw. Specklepaw shook his head. "Well, it's the Thunderpath I told you about yesterday. See this dark grey surface?" She gestured towards the edge of the Thunderpath. "This shows what it is. It's very dangerous, so we need to be careful when crossing it."

"Of course," meowed Specklepaw. "I haven't seen any in my entire life, but it definitely seems creepy at first sight. What do monsters loon like?" he added, shaking at the thought of crossing it.

"You'll see soon enough," answered the ginger she-cat. Suddenly, the ground started shaking beneath their paws. "Well, here comes one. Watch."

Specklepaw watched as a huge, black thing rolled on the Thunderpath, making it shake even more as it was approaching them. It brushed past the two cats so quickly Specklepaw didn't have time to react. He jumped away in fright, but the monster was already gone by then.

"See?" mewed Thunderpaw. "These could crush you in a heartbeat, before you had time to say 'mouse'," she added seriously. "Now, when I say 'go', you follow me and run as fast as you can okay?"

Specklepaw nodded but did not answer, still shaken from the noise and rapidity of the monster. Thunderpaw then placed her paw on the grey surface, to feel if there were any vibrations.

"GO!"

Specklepaw didn't even think once, and ran on the Thunderpath as fast as he could. In no time, he jumped on the other end. Thunderpaw arrived heartbeats after him, panting. "You ran fast!" she meowed. "Did the monster scare you that much?"

"Yeah," nodded Specklepaw. "I don't want to come near that thing again!"

"You will, one day. We'll probably travel to the Moonstone, and we'll cross if for the Great Journey," mewed Thunderpaw, padding to join her friend.

"Oh no," meowed Specklepaw, half serious, half laughing. "I really hate Thunderpaths..."

"I don't like them either," meowed Thunderpaw. "But we have to do with it. Anyways, we are now in WindClan territory. We need to try not to be spotted by a patrol, but if we do, we can just tell them that we are passing rogues. They're bound to let us go without a fight. If everything goes smoothly, we'll arrive to Fourtrees at sunhigh, and we'll talk about how we will enter ThunderClan there."

"Perfect," nodded Specklepaw. "Well, we just have to hope that no one notices us until then. Let's go."

Specklepaw followed Thunderpaw as she padded expertly on WindClan territory. Suddenly, the she-cat stopped in her tracks. "Hey, I forgot that WindClan wasn't there anymore!" she meowed joyfully. "Remember what I told you? About Brokenstar having chased them from their home?"

"Yes! I remember! Wow, we can be so stupid sometimes," meowed Specklepaw. "Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's run and not bother with hiding!"

"Okay!" agreed Thunderpaw, preparing to race Specklepaw. "The last to Fourtrees looses!"

At Thunderpaw's signal, Specklepaw ran in exhilaration, enjoying the sun and gentle breeze that ruffled his fur as he ran. He could feel Thunderpaw running right behind him, and his whiskers twitched in amusement as he saw her with her long fur fluffed up against the wind. As they neared Fourtrees, Specklepaw slowed down; and stopped in amazement as he saw the four great oaks looming over him, forgetting the race. Thunderpaw stopped behind him, purring at his awed expression.

"Wow, this is so impressive," murmured Specklepaw. "I've never seen trees so big in the same place in my entire life!"

"Yes, Fourtrees seems so beautiful when you first see it," purred his ginger friend. "I knew them all my life, but I can understand how you feel."

"Yeah, it's great," answered Specklepaw. "I love discovering new things, especially when I'm with you!" he added, turning around to look at her. Her green eyes were as stunning as ever.

"Thanks," purred the she-cat. "Well, since we are at Fourtrees already, let me tell you what we are going to do."

"I'm all ears," pressed Specklepaw, sitting down to hear what Thunderpaw had to say.

"As I told you earlier, we are going to say that we are rogues called Speckle and Thunder, and that we come from the mountains. We could say that we were driven out of our home by another rogue group and that our families were killed. Fortunately, we escaped and decided to travel. We met farm cats near WindClan and ShadowClan camp who told us about the Clans, and since we preferred living in a group, we wanted to see if any of the Clans could take us in."

"That sounds great to me," meowed Specklepaw. "But since we were near ShadowClan and WindClan in our story, why choose ThunderClan?"

"Easy. The cats we met told us the particularities of each Clan, and we thought that ThunderClan's hunting grounds suited our abilities best. But I doubt that they will ask us that. I even doubt that they will ask us if we wanted to join a Clan on purpose. If Bluestar is the one to find us, she will think about the 'fire will save our Clan' prophecy and ask us to join her Clan without question. However, if Tigerclaw finds us..."

"We'll be careful," interrupted Specklepaw. "We are trained, remember? We just need to hide in case of an emergency."

Thunderpaw looked doubtful but nodded. "Well, let's go then," she sighed.

"Yes, let's go." Specklepaw got up and padded towards the ThunderClan border, Thunderpaw right at his heels. "You go first," he meowed. "You know the territory by heart, lead the way."

"Sure," answered the she-cat. "Isn't it exciting? We are going to see our kin," she purred.

...

Thunderpaw and Specklepaw padded noiselessly in the middle of ThunderClan territory. Specklepaw felt at home, under the oak trees and bramble bushes. The soft grass felt really nice under his paws.

"I wonder how the Clan will react when they see us," meowed Thunderpaw, interrupting the silence. "You look like a copy of Sandstorm, except for the eyes, the long fur and the spots. I look like Firestar, but Squirrelflight and I are exactly the same, except for the white paw..."

"They won't notice," assured Specklepaw. "Many cats look like us, don't worry."

Thunderpaw nodded, but seemed unsure of herself. Shrugging her thoughts away, she concentrated on finding the camp.

"Shhh," whispered Specklepaw suddenly. "I hear voices." Both cats quickly hid behind a bramble bush. Specklepaw could hear Thunderpaw's heart beat quicker than usual.

Indeed, a small patrol was walking through the undergrowth. Specklepaw recognised two she-cats and a tom by scent.

"Who are they?" he mouthed to Thunderpaw.

"Mousefur, Whitestorm and Sandpaw," answered the ginger she-cat. "I think it's okay. Since Whitestorm is the senior warrior, and is on Firepaw's side, I think we need to show ourselves now. Better him than Tigerclaw or Darkstripe."

"That's our best option anyways," murmured Specklepaw. "It's this, or the whole Clan."

"True," nodded Thunderpaw. "Well, let's go." She took in a deep breath, and stepped out of their hiding place. At once, three heads turned towards her. Thunderpaw wasn't surprised: her fiery pelt stood out brightly against the green undergrowth. With a flick of his tail, Specklepaw signaled that he was right behind her.

The three cats on the patrol padded towards them. Whitestorm looked surprised, while Mousefur and Sandpaw looked angry, their pelts bristling at the sight of two strangers on their territory.

"Well, well, well," started Whitestorm, eyeing the two apprentices strangely. "What are you two doing on our territory?"

Thunderpaw replied as quick as lightning. "We are sorry to be trespassing, but we want to talk to your leader. Is that possible by any chance?"

Whitestorm's brow furrowed. "Our leader? Why can't you just tell me?" he inquired.

"This is of great importance for both of us," answered Thunderpaw, pointing to Specklepaw and herself. "We don't mind telling you why we want to talk to her, and how we came to discover the Clans, but it will take quite some time. Why not just listen to us when we will talk to your leader, to prevent us from talking twice?"

Mousefur snickered. "Clearly, those two weaklings do not understand how a Clan works," she meowed to her white companion. "A Clan is whole, kit," she spat to Thunderpaw. "Whatever you tell us will be told to our leader in any case," she meowed. "So just spit it out and don't make us wait. We have a border to check."

Thunderpaw was about to reply when Whitestorm cut her off. "Wait, Mousefur," he meowed, without loosing his patience. "I think they have interesting things to tell us. And I would like to know how two rogues came to discover our Clans."

"Thank you for being so understanding," meowed Thunderpaw, letting her shoulders relax. "We didn't hunt on your territory, and we weren't thinking of trespassing for fun either. We just really need to talk to your leader."

Whitestorm nodded. "Follow me now, I will take you to her. My name is Whitestorm, by the way, and these two are Mousefur and Sandpaw," he mewed, pointing to each she-cat in turn. Sandpaw hadn't talked, but Thunderpaw could see that her eyes were blazing with anger at letting strangers enter their camp. Mousefur was calmer, but Thunderpaw could feel nervousness pulse from her.

"What weird names," meowed Specklepaw, talking for the first time. Thunderpaw nearly choked a laugh. Specklepaw was so good an actor! "My name is Speckle, and my friend is Thunder," he added, finishing the presentations.

Whitestorm purred, amused by Specklepaw's reaction. "Our Clan has a name system proper to our ways of living. We think that rogue names are weird: but everyone can think what they want," he meowed.

"How does it work?" inquired the golden dappled tom, tilting his head to one side.

"When a kit is born, he is given a prefix by his parents. Often, the prefix is related to the pelt colour, appearance, or just a symbol. The prefix is succeded by 'kit' until the kit is old enough to be an apprentice. When the time comes, the 'kit' becomes 'paw'," meowed Whitestorm. "Are you really interested by this?" he meowed suddenly, stopping to look at the apprentices carefully.

"Yes, of course!" answered Specklepaw. "Go on, I'm all ears."

"When an apprentice becomes a warrior, the suffix gets replaced by something related to the character or appearance of the cat. For example, Mousefur here got named 'mouse' because of her fur, and 'fur', because of her pelt colour. It's as simple as that," meowed Whitestorm. "There is one last thing: only a leader can be named with the suffix 'star'. You'll meet ours soon enough, we are nearing our camp," he added.

Specklepaw and Thunderpaw looked at each other, eyes filled with amusement. _Oh, they don't know anything about us,_ thought Thunderpaw. _It's quite a funny idea to think that we're their descendants._

"Here we go," meowed Whitestorm, as all five cats approached a bramble entrance. "I will take you to our leader."

Mousefur stepped beside Whitestorm. "Are you really sure this is a good idea?" she hissed. "Letting two rogues into our camp, without Bluestar even knowing about it?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it," answered Whitestorm. "They won't harm anyone, I can feel it."

"Well, if you're wrong, all the blame is on you," she spat.

"Don't worry, I won't be wrong. And if I am, you are right, everything will be on me," he answered patiently. "Sandpaw," he meowed, turning to the apprentice. "Why don't you go hunting a little? The Clan would welcome a few pieces of prey."

Sandpaw sent a mutinous look at her mentor. "Why can't I listen to their story?" she pointed to Specklepaw and Thunderpaw.

"Because this is a matter for Bluestar, Lionheart and her senior warriors, which means Mousefur and me," answered Whitestorm. "Now, do as I say, and don't argue."

"But–"

"No 'but's," interrupted her white mentor. Then, his gaze softened. "I'll tell you if anything they tell us is important."

Sandpaw didn't even bother to answer, she turned around and stalked off furiously. Thunderpaw couldn't help but suppress a grin. She had met her great great great great and multiple times great grandmother!

Thunderpaw and Specklepaw followed Whitestorm into camp. Specklepaw ducked just in time, nearly bumping his head against the bramble bush. The hollow was buzzing with activity. Cats were busy organising patrols or building up reinforcements. Small kits were playing moss-ball near a well protected den which looked like it was the nursery. Of course, Thunderpaw knew how it all looked already, but Specklepaw was amazed at the resemblance between their camp by the lake and this one. ThunderClan looked practically the same, even in another territory, ages before their time!

"Our leader's den is right there," meowed Whitestorm, bringing Specklepaw back to the present...or the past. "Come with me."

Thunderpaw and Specklepaw obediently padded behind him, while Mousefur checked that they weren't doing anything suspicious. Curious murmurs escaped from the Clan as they saw the new arrivals.

"Who are they?"

"What are they doing here?"

"Are they rogues?"

"Mama! I wanna see the new caaaats!"

Thunderpaw grinned as a very small grey tortoiseshell rolled towards her. _Cinderkit, in this world, you will not be crippled for life. You will live to be a warrior, and one of the best in all ThunderClan,_ she thought, eyeing the tiny furball. A white queen scooped her up before the kit could enter Bluestar's den with the others, and do some mischief.

"Cinderkit," she scolded the grey she-kit. "This is no business for you. Go and play with your littermates, and stay away from these strangers!" the queen meowed, bristling.

Thunderpaw understood Frostfur's fear. Queens were always protective with their kits, especially when the kits were that small. Cinderkit looked like she was one or two moons all at best. She could even just have opened her eyes!

"Come on, Thunder," meowed Specklepaw to his friend. "Stop looking at the Clan like that. They will start to think that you are a psychopath if you stare at every present cat!" he laughed, only for her to hear. Thunderpaw's spine prickled as she heard her temporary name. She did not like to be called like that. Especially when it came from Specklepaw. It made her feel like someone else, someone other than the Thunderpaw Specklepaw loved.

"I'm coming," she meowed, turning her gaze towards Bluestar's den. Whitestorm was beckoning them to enter, and both cats followed him inside. A blue-grey she-cat was sitting inside the den, her tail curled neatly around her paws. Thunderpaw knew her very well, but mimicked a stunned and respectful expression.

"Greetings," meowed Bluestar, her eyes narrowing as the golden tom and ginger she-cat entered her den. "Whitestorm told me you wanted to talk to me. I am Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan. What have you got to tell me?"

* * *

 **Suspense... How will Bluestar react when she hears Thunder and Speckle want to join ThunderClan?**

 **You'll see in the next chapter! XD**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter ;) I am very sorry for not updating earlier, but I'm very busy right now, and updates will be at very irregular intervals.**

 **Please review!**

 **-Lightning**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, I'm so so sorry for the huuuuuge delay, but I had a very big writer's block for both this story and The Flight of the Jay. I had this chapter half written, like, three months ago, but I didn't like how it turned out and rewrote it three times. I didn't like the others either and finally just continued the first draft :'D**

 **Reviews:**

 **"the Key of Endless Winters" - Thanks!**

 **"Nausika Universe" - Good question: yeah, cats will get suspicious, so they will mock their deaths and reappear years later (and do this over and over again). Cats will probably see that they do not grow old, but Thunderpaw will always find a way XD You'll see as the story goes on!**

 **"Blue741776" - Yeah, backlash there will be! XD**

 **"CharaAndBlue" - Thanks!**

 **"Empress NightFrost" - Thank you so much!**

 **This chapter is a filler chapter, so I'm sorry if it's not really long and interesting, but I hope you'll still enjoy reading it!**

* * *

Chapter 4:

"What have you got to tell me?"

Thunderpaw dipped her head to Bluestar, before shifting in a good position in order to be more comfortable.

"My name is Thunder, and this is Speckle," she started, pointing to her golden friend. "We come from very far away, way beyond Clan territory. Our group was destroyed, along with our families, but Speckle and I managed to escape. Since then, we have been wandering in search of a new home." Thunderpaw paused for a second. "A moon ago, we arrived near the place you call Highstones."

At the mention of Highstones, Bluestar's ears perked up. She was probably wondering where two strangers could have learned that.

"We met a loner there, who had made his home just beside WindClan territory," Thunderpaw continued.

Bluestar suddenly rose to her paws, looking a little agitated. "May I ask you how you know all this about the Clans?" she inquired.

"Of course," answered the ginger she-cat. "Well, the loner we met said to have been part of a Clan called ShadowClan..."

Thunderpaw eyed Bluestar for a second before continuing. The blue-grey she-cat was twitching her whiskers uncomfortably, and Thunderpaw didn't need to cast a glance beside her to know what Specklepaw was thinking. They hadn't talked about saying that at all, but an idea had just come into Thunderpaw's mind.

"...and told us that he was chased out of the Clan, along with other clanmates of his," meowed Thunderpaw. "We stayed with him for a few sunrises, and he told us many stories about the Clans. We listened day and night to him, and learned that from the four Clans that lived around Fourtrees, ThunderClan was the only one to have the same undergrowth we were used to live in before our group got destroyed. Spe–"

"Stop for a second," interrupted Bluestar. "By any chance, do you remember the name of the ShadowClan tom you met?"

"No, I'm sorry," meowed Thunderpaw, mimicking a sorrowful face. "He didn't want to tell us his name."

Bluestar stayed pensive for a few heartbeats, before indicating Thunderpaw to continue with a flick of her tail.

"Speck–"

"I'm sorry," meowed Bluestar, interrupting the ginger she-cat again. "But could you tell me exactly the point of your visit? I'm guessing that you haven't come to the heart of the subject yet, and I don't have much time."

Thunderpaw sighed. _I was going to say it now anyways,_ she thought. "Speckle and I want to join ThunderClan," she meowed, locking her eyes with the ThunderClan leader.

At once, Whitestorm perked his ears, but without doing the slightest noise. Bluestar rose and started padding in circles uncomfortably, letting both young cats in an awkward silence, but alert.

After a few heartbeats, which seemed to last very long for Specklepaw, Bluestar finally settled down again. "This is a very difficult position for me, to be Clan leader," she meowed. "I need to decide everything for my Clan, and sometimes, I don't know if my choices are good or not. Do you understand?"

Thunderpaw and Specklepaw both nodded in agreement.

"Now, I never welcome intruders without thinking about it before. Nor do I chase them out of camp. Your request is high, and I am not sure I can accept. Rogues, loners and kittypets are usually not welcomed in Clans, though I have recruited some before," meowed Bluestar, blue eyes piercing. "Not long ago, about a moon or two ago, a kittypet joined our Clan. But I have to say that the consequences were very different from the ones right now. Firstly, it was I who asked him first if he wanted to join; and secondly, Firepaw was only six moons old, and it was therefore more easy for him to adapt. So I will ask you to let me think about it with my senior warriors, and I will tell you by the end of the day if it is yes, or no," she continued.

"We understand," meowed Thunderpaw, silently agreeing with the ThunderClan leader. "We will do whatever you ask us to do during the waiting time."

"Thank you," meowed Bluestar. "I would prefer if you just stayed in camp under the eye of a few of my warriors. I don't want unnecessary fights to start," she added, eying them sternly, in search of any bad intentions. "Whitestorm, you can escort them out of my den and they can wait near Spottedleaf's den. Make sure that at least three warriors are near," she added in a whisper, "and come back with Lionheart, Tigerclaw and Spottedleaf."

 _So, that means that Spottedleaf is still alive, and that Firepaw has not found Yellowfang yet. Interesting,_ thought Thunderpaw as she padded behind the white warrior, Specklepaw at her side. _This also means that the battle with RiverClan happened only a few sunrises ago. Maybe Longtail sill has cobwebs on his ears?_ she thought, laughing at the memory of Firepaw's victory.

Whitestorm silently showed them a spot near Spottedleaf's den, indicating them to sit while he beckoned Mousefur, Runningwind, Willowpelt and Sandpaw to guard them. Then, he turned around and padded back to Bluestar's den.

Shifting a little to be more comfortable, Thunderpaw noticed Cinderkit slipping behind a bramble bush to spy on them, and purred as she saw a tortoiseshell tail flick back and forth excitedly. _This one will need to learn how to hide properly,_ she thought, eyes sparkling in the thought that she would never break her leg now that she was there. Then, she turned to Specklepaw.

"Why did you do that?" he hissed, but not loud enough for their guards to hear.

Thunderpaw was taken aback by his tone. "Do what?" she replied, pressing her ears to her head.

"You know very well," he added, frowning. "Why did you talk about the ShadowClan warrior? You told me we would not be interrogated, and you didn't tell me you planned to say this! Why do you always decide for us both? We agreed on saying farm cats told us about ThunderClan! Now they will have suspicions because the story you invented is too weird to be true!" he growled.

"Shhh! Everyone will hear you if you raise your voice!" hissed Thunderpaw. "And Bluestar didn't ask for presentations. I did it because I thought it would be proper to present ourselves to a Clan leader. And I didn't tell you about the ShadowClan cat because I thought about it just before saying it! I thought it would be a better idea..." she meowed, hurt by his words.

Specklepaw did not answer, and turned her back on her. "You always to the talking anyways. Wherever you are, I am always the follower, everywhere. No wonder Bluestar didn't even ask me to talk," he whispered.

"I don't understand!" cried Thunderpaw. "Yesterday, you said you loved me, and now..." she meowed, voice breaking. "Why are you doing this to me?!"

Specklepaw turned his back on her and started grooming himself, as if he hadn't heard her. Eyes widening, the ginger she-cat backed away from him and flopped to the ground in disbelief.

"I don't recognise you, Specklepaw," she meowed, not loud enough for him to hear her. "I hope you realise the pain you are causing to me."

...

Moons seemed to have gone by when Whitestorm came back to them. "Come with me," he meowed, expressionless.

Both apprentices made sure to stay away from each other as the white warrior guided them to Bluestar's den. The blue-grey leader seemed calmer than when they had first seen her, and Thunderpaw noticed that Spottedleaf sat silently by her side. Tensing, the ginger she-cat listened attentively to what Bluestar would say about their demand to join the Clan.

"After much discussion, my medicine cat and I have agreed to welcome you in ThunderClan," started Bluestar. At the same time, Thunderpaw's shoulders relaxed. "But," she continued. "You must understand that training as a warrior is a hard task, and must require commitment and patience. I don't expect you to be integrated in a sunrise, but if you have not adapted by the end of the moon, I will have to reconsider my choice."

Thunderpaw and Specklepaw nodded whilst listening to Bluestar's conditions.

"You will be assigned mentors, and they will fill in the function of teaching you both the warrior code and our hunting and fighting techniques. By accepting our rules, you cannot back away from your decision. Like any other ThunderClan cat, you will be punished if you break the code. Is that clear?"

"Yes," meowed the apprentices in unison. _I didn't remember Bluestar being so strict..._ thought Thunderpaw. _Why is this taking so long for us to become apprentices? Firepaw didn't have to go through all this._

 _But again,_ thought Thunderpaw, _this is an alternative world after all... And Bluestar probably has her_ _suspicions. I wonder if StarClan knows who we are?_

"What about our names?"

Thunderpaw jerked out of her thoughts and looked at Specklepaw. _Our names?_

Bluestar seemed to think the same. "Your names?" she inquired, puzzled.

"Well, there is a system in the Clans..." started Specklepaw.

 _Oh I see!_ thought the ginger she-cat. _He wants to keep our real names. Actually, I want that too._

"...where apprentices get a name with 'paw' at the end no?" he finished. "Whitestorm told us," he added in quickly as Bluestar looked at him weirdly.

"Well, what about that?" meowed Bluestar.

"I would like to keep my prefix if possible," blurted Specklepaw. "I don't mind the 'paw' though."

"I see," meowed Bluestar. Thunderpaw tried to read the expression on her face but was unable to do so. Bluestar's expression was neutral. "What about you, Thunder?"

"I would like to keep my prefix too," meowed Thunderpaw calmly. "If you don't mind."

"Oh, _I_ personally don't mind, but both your prefixes are not the best ones to have in our Clan," answered Bluestar. "We already have a cat named Speckletail, and we are ThunderClan. It is quite uncommon to have the prefix of the Clan you belong to, but exceptions can be made. Are you sure you are not willing to have another name?"

"I am very attached to my name," meowed Thunderpaw. "It would mean a lot to me if I was still called 'Thunder'. Or partly called."

"Me too," nodded Specklepaw, not even glancing at Thunderpaw.

"Well, so be it," sighed Bluestar. "I had names in mind, but I guess they'll never be used. Now follow me, I am going to do your ceremonies," she added, motioning them to go out of her den.

Both young cats padded out after her, quickly followed by Spottedleaf and Whitestorm. Spottedleaf hadn't uttered a word, and seemed lost in her thoughts, while Whitestorm had his ears perked forward not to miss any detail. Thunderpaw couldn't see if he was happy of their addition to the Clan or not.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highrock for a Clan meeting!" yowled Bluestar as she leaped onto a big rock in the middle of the clearing.

Instantly, heads turned to the sound of her voice and the murmur of cats started to increase. Thunderpaw felt uneasy as all heads turned towards her and Specklepaw.

"Who are they?"

"I haven't seen them before..."

"They're rogues!"

The murmurs of the cats who hadn't yet seen them started to increase, but Bluestar silenced them with a flick of her tail.

"As you may have understood, these two cats have come from far away, and wish to join our Clan," started Bluestar as her warriors calmed down.

At once, shocked yowls filled the clearing again at her words.

"Join our Clan?!"

"Why are we accepting every passing cat in the first place?"

"We're ThunderClan! Not RogueClan or KittypeltClan!"

"STOP!" yowled Bluestar, baring her teeth menacingly. "This is my decision, and I am your leader. So listen to what I have to say and obey!"

The angry meows died away at her words, but Thunderpaw noticed that some warriors still shared uneasy glances. Frostfur curled her tail protectively around her kits, and backed further away in the nursery. Darkstripe and Tigerclaw were muttering to each other, and Longtail was glaring at Firepaw, who was sitting beside Greypaw.

 _Why are they all so hostile towards us?_ thought Thunderpaw, wincing at their stares. _We haven't done anything wrong...but again, I guess I understand them. Three strangers, including two rogues whom they know nothing about, is a lot to take in._

"I have agreed to welcome them into ThunderClan; and despite their age, they will train as apprentices until I think they are ready to become warriors," continued Bluestar, shooting hard stares at those still muttering in disagreement.

"Speckle and Thunder, please come forward."

Thunderpaw shot a glance at Specklepaw, anxious about the ceremony, but Specklepaw had his gaze fixed on Bluestar, as if he didn't seem to care about his friend anymore. Thunderpaw felt a knot grow in her belly as she remembered their dispute.

 _Why is he doing this to me?_ she thought again. _We should be supporting each other! Not ignoring one another!_

"Speckle, from this moment until you become a warrior, you will be known as Specklepaw. Runningwind will be your mentor."

 _Runningwind is a great choice,_ thought Thunderpaw. _He never had an apprentice before, but has an amazing amount of patience and a great heart. Specklepaw's lucky..._

"Thunder, from this moment until you become a warrior, you will be known as Thunderpaw."

Thunderpaw closed her eyes for a moment, letting all the sounds get to her ears. Thinking back to her real apprentice ceremony back in the future, she felt a pang of sadness at the thought of never seeing her Clan and family for the next hundreds of seasons.

"Your mentor will be..."

 _I wonder who,_ she thought, opening her eyes. There were three choices left, and Thunderpaw locked gazes with a very pale grey she-cat with light blue eyes. _I hope..._

Thunderpaw then lifted her gaze and noticed Bluestar looking at the crowd of warriors, clearly trying to find the best choice. Then, her eyes rested on one particular warrior.

"Mousefur."

* * *

 **Allegiances:**

LEADER: 

Bluestar — blue-grey she-cat with silver tinges around her muzzle and blue eyes

 _Apprentice=Firepaw_

DEPUTY: 

Lionheart — massive, golden tabby tom with thick fur around his neck and green eyes

 _Apprentice=Greypaw_

MEDICINE CAT:

Spottedleaf — beautiful dark dappled tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

WARRIORS:

Tigerclaw — big, dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws and amber eyes

 _Apprentice=Ravenpaw_

Whitestorm — big white tom with amber eyes

 _Apprentice=Sandpaw_

Darkstripe — sleek black and grey tabby tom with amber eyes

 _Apprentice=Dustpaw_

Longtail — pale brown tabby tom with black stripes and blue eyes

Runningwind — swift brown tabby tom with darker stripes and green eyes

Mousefur — small, dusky brown she-cat with amber eyes

Willowpelt —very pale grey she-cat with unusually light blue eyes

APPRENTICES:

Dustpaw — dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Ravenpaw — small, skinny black tom with a white dash on his chest, a white tipped tail and green eyes

Sandpaw — pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Greypaw — long-haired grey tom with a darker stripe across his backbone and tail and amber eyes

Firepaw — handsome ginger tom with green eyes

QUEENS:

Frostfur — beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes, mother to Cinderkit, Brackenkit, Brightkit and Thornkit (2 moons)

Speckletail — pale ginger tabby she-cat with amber eyes, mother to Mistlekit and Snowkit (newborns)

Brindleface — grey tabby she-cat with green eyes, expecting kits

Goldenflower — ginger tabby she-cat with yellow eyes, mother to Swiftkit (3 moons)

ELDERS:

Halftail — big, dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing and yellow eyes

Smallear — grey tom with very small ears and amber eyes

Patchpelt — small black and white tom with yellow eyes

One-eye — pale grey she-cat with one amber eye, deaf and blind on the right side

Dappletail — pretty dappled tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

* * *

 **I hope you liked the chapter, and I promise to try to post the next chapter soon! (Next week probably)**

 **Please REVIEW! It'll motivate me to continue ;)**

 **~Lightningfire**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is probably the first chapter I posted on time: I said a week, and it is nearly exactly so!**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Tigerflight" - Yes, that's what I thought! I really like Mousefur, even though she's so annoying at first! I wanted Darkstripe to be Thunderpaw's mentor at first, but realised he was Dustpaw's just before posting chapter 4. Oh, well, who cares? XD And thank you so much!**

 **"Nausika Universe" - Yeah, my writer's block is nearly gone! I'm going to update sooner now ^^ Thank you so much for your review, and sorry for the mistake in your username: the autocorrect always changes it! But I fixed it now.**

 **"Emberflame"- That's fine, don't worry ;) Thanks for reviewing chapter 3 anyways! So, let's answer your questions.** Does Specklepaw really love Thunderpaw, though? **You'll see at the end of this chapter ^^** Runningwind was a good choice, but I wonder how Mousefur will train Thunderpaw? **You'll see in this chapter for this one too XD We'll see Mousefur and Thunderpaw more than Runningwind and Specklepaw, but I'll show some of both's training.** What what was Bluestar going to name Specklepaw and Thunderpaw? **I was hoping someone would ask that, and you did! Yay! The names were going to be Duskpaw for Thunderpaw, and Blazepaw for Specklepaw (dusk because the colours of dusk remind her of Thunder's pelt colour, and blaze because of the 'fire' prophecy: she has doubts about who it is).**

 **"Blue741776" - Thank you so much!**

 **"Mistydawn" - Thanks XD Yeah, it would be heartbreaking, but I won't throw them out; at least, I think I won't... (just kidding).**

* * *

Chapter 5:

"Your mentor will be Mousefur."

 _Mousefur?!_ thought Thunderpaw, bristling at the thought of having to train with the annoying brown warrior. _I was sure I was going to get Willowpelt!_

 _But again, the only warriors without apprentices were Runningwind, Longtail, Willowpelt and Mousefur,_ meowed a tiny voice in her head, _and Mousefur and Runningwind are littermates, so Mousefur was kind of an obvious choice._

 _True..._ thought Thunderpaw, slumping her shoulders in defeat as she touched noses with her mentor. Mousefur looked equally disappointed, and anger at Bluestar was clearly brimming in her eyes.

"Don't expect me to be soft on you, _rogue_ ," spat Mousefur silently, so as to reach only Thunderpaw's ears.

"I wasn't going to," retorted Thunderpaw, glaring coldly at the brown tabby she-cat.

At the other end of the clearing, Specklepaw was chatting with Runningwind, as if they knew each other since their kit hood. Already, the ThunderClan warriors had started splitting, and Lionheart started sorting out patrols while Bluestar jumped off Highrock and padded back into her den.

 _Specklepaw's lucky to have a nice mentor,_ thought Thunderpaw, eyeing the golden mottled tom with envy. _And I miss him. I miss him so much already..._

"Well, what are you waiting for, you lazy lump?" hissed Mousefur as she shoved Thunderpaw towards the entrance of the camp.

Thunderpaw growled at Mousefur, eyes blazing like twin green suns, but thought better than to answer.

"We're going to explore the territory, and then I'll show you the best paces to gather moss for your nest," meowed Mousefur, clearly disappointed at Thunderpaw's lack of words after the insult.

The dark ginger she-cat sighed. _And I was going to become a warrior, back in my future..._

"Great," she lied, clearly not enthusiastic at all. The idea of scouting a territory she already knew so well bored her, and she pictured the place where the best fresh moss could be found. _She probably wants to show me the Owl Tree or the Great Sycamore, but I know a much better place than that._

Mousefur snorted. "You'd better get used to gather moss for the elders: you won't become a warrior until at least three moons have gone by."

 _Well, Specklepaw and I will prove her wrong,_ thought Thunderpaw, eyes gleaming at the prospect of annoying Mousefur even more. _We'll be warriors in a_ _moon. No less, no more._

...

"And this is Snakerocks," meowed Mousefur, as Thunderpaw and she neared a clearing full of vegetation. "You'll probably have to hunt once or twice there, but never, never go without paying real attention to your surroundings. There are adders and snakes everywhere, and they could kill you in a heartbeat."

 _Well, I won't die,_ thought Thunderpaw while nodding. _I'm immortal until I fuse with my future self. But nobody knows that except me and Specklepaw._

"That's it," meowed Mousefur, turning around in the direction of the camp. "You know the territory now, so go and find moss for your nest. I'm going hunting."

 _How dare she leave me alone like that on my first day!_ fumed Thunderpaw, glaring at her mentor. _If it wasn't me, I woudn't know the forest by heart yet._

"If you get lost, it's not my fault," snickered Mousefur. "You should have assimilated everything if you heard me correctly."

Thunderpaw growled, while pondering Mousefur's reaction.

 _She's way meaner than she was in our past,_ she thought. _Well, too bad for me._

"I expect to see you back by sundown," added the brown warrior, eyes glinting dangerously. "We are going on the dawn patrol tomorrow, and you won't be sleeping until dusk."

 _She wants war? I'll give it to her._

"Sure," purred Thunderpaw silkily. "I'll be back by sundown. And I'm not a cat who tires. If you want to wear me out, you'll have to find other ways to do it. Waking me up at dawn will only tire _you._ "

"Close your mouth, _rogue_ ," spat Mousefur, taking a step closer to the ginger she-cat. "I am the one in charge here, and if you don't respect me, bad things could happen to you."

"I'm aware," meowed Thunderpaw, keeping herself from smiling.

 _Oh, it's so easy to annoy her!_

Mousefur did not answer, and instead flipped around and raced back to the ThunderClan camp.

 _Yes, Mousefur: war._

 _..._

By the time Thunderpaw was supposed to be back to camp, she had: made her nest, explored the territory once again for fun, and surprisingly enough, had managed to catch more prey than Mousefur. She had seen her mentor place her prey on the pile, and then go out again: it wasn't sundown yet. But Mousefur hadn't seen her.

Nobody greeted her as she entered the camp, three mice and a shrew in her jaws. Padding towards the fresh-kill pile, Thunderpaw gently placed her prey down and took one of the mice she had caught. She settled down near the apprentices' den in the nearly empty clearing and gulped her meal rather quickly.

"Hey, Thunderpaw!"

Thunderpaw spun around to face Greypaw. His amber eyes were wide open and the she-cat could see worry pictured on his round face.

"Yes?" she meowed, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, I was wondering if you had seen Firepaw, since you were out in the forest all day long," answered the grey tom, shuffling his paws. "I'm worried for him, I haven't seen him since sunhigh!"

"No, I haven't seen him at all since the ceremony," meowed Thunderpaw, looking at Greypaw sideways. "Don't you know where he could be?"

"We were supposed to be on an assessment, but I finished mine already, and he hasn't come back..."

"Maybe you should tell Bluestar and ask her to send a patrol to look for him," suggested Thunderpaw. She knew where Firepaw was, and what he was doing right now, but of course, she couldn't tell Greypaw. Her whiskers twitched in amusement at the thought of how the patrol was going to find Firepaw...or with whom.

 _So, I know exactly where in time we are, now,_ she thought, licking her lips. She buried the remnants of the mouse and nodded to Greypaw as he padded to Bluestar's den. _Firepaw is around seven or eight moons old. Did our journey really last this long?! Nearly two whole moons? I hadn't realised..._

Thunderpaw perked her ears as Bluestar padded out of her den and called to Tigerclaw, Darkstripe and Willowpelt.

"Greypaw tells me Firepaw has gone missing," meowed Bluestar. "But I know where I sent him for his assessment. Let's check the ShadowClan border. He might be there."

 _Good thinking,_ thought Thunderpaw, purring. _He is there._

Jumping to her paws, Thunderpaw padded inside the apprentices' den and purred in content as she saw that her nest was ready for her to sleep in.

"It really looks comfortable," she murmured to herself. "Well done me!"

 _Are they gone yet?_ she thought, straining her ear in the direction of Bluestar's den. Hearing nothing, she bounced out of the apprentices' den and slipped through the bramble entrance of the ThunderClan camp, unnoticed.

 _I want to see this!_ she thought, laughing inaudibly. _I don't care if Mousefur doesn't see me back at camp. I can invent whichever excuse I want!_

Thunderpaw didn't have to sniff the air to find where the patrol had gone. She knew exactly where they were, and where they would find Firepaw.

She padded through the forest, and nearly tripped over an abandoned branch in her hurry to arrive in time. _The adventure begins now,_ she thought, eyes bright. _Let's change the future!_

...

Thunderpaw was nearing the spot when she noticed movement not far away. Quickly, she hid behind a bush and spied on the newcomers.

A dappled ginger tom was speaking to his mentor excitedly, and both cats had three pieces of prey in their jaws.

 _Specklepaw!_

Thunderpaw nearly let out a growl, but thought better and swiftly turned away towards the ShadowClan border. _I will not let him get to me! He is the one who will suffer at the end. Not me._

The dark ginger she-cat slowed down as she heard the sound of voices echoing through this part of the forest. Again, she hid behind a tree and perked her ears.

["Firepaw?" meowed Bluestar as she neared Firepaw with her patrol at her heels. "What have we here? An enemy warrior, and recently fed, by the smell of you both."]

 _He's going to get in trouble,_ thought Thunderpaw, purring as she imagined Firepaw now. She couldn't see the warriors, but she knew how it looked from Firepaw's point of view. And from the other warriors too. Nearly every cat there was one of her ancestors, even if very distantly related.

["She was weak and hungry..." began Firepaw.

"And what about you? Was your hunger so bad that you had to feed yourself before you had gathered prey for your Clan?"] continued Bluestar, seeming very calm despite her anger. "I assume that you have a _very_ good reason for breaking the warrior code?"

Suddenly, Tigerclaw hissed. "Once a kittypet, always a kittypet! Firepaw clearly has not yet learned the Clans' ways," he meowed menacingly.

Bluestar did not answer Tigerclaw, and Thunderpaw knew she still had her gaze fixed on the young ginger apprentice and the cat beside him.

["Well, well, Firepaw! It seems you have captured us a ShadowClan cat. And one I know well. You are ShadowClan's medicine cat, aren't you?" meowed Bluestar to the stranger. "What are you doing so far into ThunderClan territory?"]

Chuckling, Thunderpaw closed her eyes, imagining Firepaw's face and the cat beside him.

["I _was_ the ShadowClan medicine cat. Now I choose to travel alone,"] hissed the cat beside Firepaw.

 _Yes, you were,_ thought Thunderpaw. _But you aren't going to travel alone for a long time, old cat. ThunderClan will take you in, don't worry,_ Yellowfang, _I know it._

["Yellowfang!" meowed Tigerclaw mockingly. "It looks like you have fallen on hard times if you can be beaten by an apprentice!"]

 _Stupid Tigerclaw, I hate him,_ thought Thunderpaw, frowning. _And I'll have to find a way to prevent him from becoming the leader of_ any _Clan. Not even the Dark Forest._

["This old cat is no use to us. Let's kill her now,"] heard Thunderpaw a few heartbeats later. "As for this kittypet, he has broken the warrior code by feeding an enemy warrior. He should be punished."]

 _Darkstripe,_ she thought, identifying the voice at once.

["Keep your claws in, Darkstripe," purred the blue-grey leader calmly. "All the Clans speak of Yellowfang's bravery and wisdom. It may help us to hear what she has to say. Come; we'll take her back to camp. Then we'll decide what to do with her—and with Firepaw. Can you walk?" she asked Yellowfang. "Or do you need help?"

"I've still got three good legs," the old medicine cat snapped back.]

Thunderpaw heard leaves rustle and guessed that Yellowfang had got up. The patrol started to move, and Thunderpaw swiftly raced away from them and took a shortcut towards the ThunderClan camp.

 _I'll arrive long before them and have time to argue with Mousefur,_ thought the ginger she-cat, nearly growling at the thought. _Maybe I should catch a few pieces of prey?_

 _No, I don't have time at all. Well, it doesn't matter; a few cats saw me placing my catches on the pile: I have proof._

Thunderpaw stopped running just before entering the camp, and caught her breath for a few heartbeats. Making sure she looked normal, she then padded into camp.

"Thunderpaw! I looked for you everywhere! Where were you? I told you to be back by sundown, and the sun disappeared a while ago!"

The dark ginger she-cat was greeted with her mentor's growls. _Here it comes,_ she thought, rolling her eyes.

"I finished my nest long ago, and also caught prey," she answered calmly. "Since you weren't there, I decided to go on a walk."

"Go on a walk?!" roared Mousefur, earning the curious glances of a few warriors. "And who told you to do so?"

"Nobody," meowed Thunderpaw. "But nobody asked me _not_ to go on a walk either. You said to be back by sundown, and I was back. I just got out after."

Short on arguments, Mousefur gaped at her apprentice, then shook her head.

"Thunderpaw. I am your mentor, and you will obey me, and be on time when I ask you to," she meowed icily. "Not after, but not before either. _On time._ "

"Sure," meowed Thunderpaw in a honey-like voice. She knew it annoyed Mousefur even more if she seemed not to mind what the brown tabby warrior said.

She could see that Mousefur was silently fuming, and decided to end it for the day. "You said dawn patrol tomorrow, no?" she added silkily. "So I'd better get some sleep."

Mousefur growled but did not argue and turned around towards the warrior's den. "I won't wake you up, rogue," she meowed through clenched teeth. "So be there at dawn, _on time._ "

"I will be," meowed Thunderpaw, not even bothering to turn around to look at her mentor.

 _..._

 _What a horrible, horrible day,_ thought Thunderpaw as she curled in her newly made nest. She knew it was very early, but she was very tired. She also knew that many things would happen after Yellowfang's arrival, but she didn't care if she wasn't there to see it. She knew History by heart.

This day had been very long for her, and she sighed as she closed her eyes. _I'm probably the only cat asleep in the whole Clans,_ she thought. _Oh, well. I don't really care._

...

Thunderpaw didn't manage to sleep with all the noise, and it became even harder when Bluestar came back with Yellowfang and her patrol.

Straining her ears, she heard Bluestar and Tigerclaw talk about something, but only heard the name 'Yellowfang'. She then heard Bluestar padding towards the nursery and muttering something to Frostfur about foxes.

Sighing, Thunderpaw decided to listen for a short while and sat just outside the den.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Bluestar yowled.

["I'm sure you have all heard about the prisoner we brought back with us today," Bluestar began. "But there is something else you need to know. Can you hear me from there?" she asked Yellowfang.]

 _She's going to talk about WindClan! I had forgotten about that_ , thought Thunderpaw, eyes widening. _Stupid me._

["I may be old, but I'm not deaf yet!" Yellowfang spat in reply.

Bluestar ignored Yellowfang's hostile tone and continued. "I'm afraid I have some very grave news. Today I traveled with a patrol into WindClan territory. The air was filled with the scent of ShadowClan. Almost every tree had been sprayed by ShadowClan warriors. And we met no WindClan cats even though we journeyed deep into their heartland."]

No cat reacted. Thunderpaw could sense confusion and fear amongst the Clan.

["Do you mean ShadowClan has chased them out?" meowed Smallear hesitantly.

"We can't be sure," answered Bluestar. "The scent of ShadowClan was everywhere, and we found blood and fur. There must have been a battle, though we found no bodies from either Clan."]

Shocked yowled now filled the clearing. Thunderpaw understood. These cats had never seen a Clan being driven out of its home during all their lives.

["How can WindClan have been driven out?" one elder croaked hoarsely. "ShadowClan is fierce, but WindClan is many. They have lived in the uplands for generations. Why have they been chased out now?"

"I don't know the answers to any of your questions," meowed Bluestar. "It is well known that ShadowClan has recently appointed a new leader, following the death of Raggedstar. Their new leader, Brokenstar, gave no hint of any threat when we met him at the last Gathering."]

 _Well, that will come soon,_ thought Thunderpaw glumly.

["Perhaps Yellowfang has answers?" snarled Darkstripe. "After all, she is of ShadowClan!"

"I am no traitor! Nothing would make me share the secrets of ShadowClan with a brute like you!" growled Yellowfang, glaring aggressively at Darkstripe. The ThunderClan warrior moved forward, ears flat, eyes closed to slits, ready for a fight.

"Stop!" yowled Bluestar.

Darkstripe immediately halted in his tracks, even though Yellowfang goaded him on with blazing eyes and a ferocious hiss.

"That's enough!" Bluestar growled. "This situation is too serious for us to be fighting among ourselves. ThunderClan must prepare itself. From this moonrise onward, warriors will travel in larger groups. Other Clan members will remain close to the camp. Patrols will travel the boundary edges more frequently, and all the kits must stay in the nursery."

The cats below her nodded in agreement. Bluestar continued. "Our need for warriors is our greatest obstacle. We shall get around this by speeding up the training of our apprentices. They need to be ready even sooner to fight for our Clan."]

Thunderpaw noticed [Dustpaw and Sandpaw exchange a thrilled glance. Graypaw was gazing up at Bluestar, his eyes wide with excitement. Ravenpaw just shuffled his paws anxiously. The black apprentice's wide eyes showed worry rather than excitement.

Bluestar went on. "One young cat has been sharing mentors with Graypaw and Ravenpaw. By teaching him, I shall speed up the training of all three apprentices." She paused and looked down at her Clan. "I shall take on Firepaw as my own apprentice."]

Thunderpaw purred as [Firepaw opened his eyes wide in amazement. Beside him, Graypaw gasped, unable to hide his surprise. "What an honor! It's been moons since Bluestar had an apprentice. Usually she trains only the kits of deputies!"

Then a familiar voice rose from the front of the crowd. It was Tigerclaw. "So Firepaw is to be rewarded, not punished, for feeding an enemy warrior when he should have been feeding his own Clan?"

"Firepaw is my apprentice now. I will deal with him," answered Bluestar. She stared into Tigerclaw's fierce eyes for a moment before lifting her head to address the whole Clan once more. "Yellowfang will be allowed to stay here until she has recovered her strength. We are warriors, not savages. She is to be treated with respect and courtesy."

"But the Clan cannot support Yellowfang," Darkstripe protested. "We have too many mouths to feed already."]

Thunderpaw noticed Graypaw whispering into Firepaw's ear. She knew what had been said of course, but noticed Firepaw's whiskers twitching.

["I don't need anyone to care for me!" spat Yellowfang. "And I'll split open anyone who tries!"

There were muffled meows from the other warriors as they grudgingly recognized the enemy warrior's fighting spirit.

Bluestar ignored the murmuring. "We shall kill two prey with one blow, as it were. Firepaw, as punishment for breaking the warrior code, it will be your responsibility to care for Yellowfang. You will hunt for her and tend her wounds. You will fetch fresh bedding and clear away her dirt."

"Yes, Bluestar," mewed Firepaw, his head bowed in submission.]

 _Don't worry, you'll get used to her,_ thought Thunderpaw, purring.

[Mocking yowls came from Dustpaw and Sandpaw. "Good idea!" hissed Dustpaw. "Firepaw had better be good at cracking fleas!"

"And hunting!" added Sandpaw. "That sack of bones is going to need feeding up!"

"Enough!" Bluestar interrupted them. "I hope Firepaw will find no shame in caring for Yellowfang. She is a healer, and she is his elder. For those reasons alone he should respect her!"

She shot a sharp glance at Sandpaw and Dustpaw. "And there is no humiliation in caring for another cat when it is unable to take care of itself. The meeting is over. I would like to speak to my senior warriors alone now." With that, she jumped down from the Highrock and marched toward her den], Lionheart following her.

Thunderpaw backed away in the den as the other cats began to dispatch and go into their respective dens. She spotted Longtail approaching Firepaw, but didn't bother to look.

 _Bully him while you can,_ she thought as she padded into the apprentices' den. _Because this cat will overpower you. Soon._

Curling once more in her nest, she rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes for good, finally drifting into sleep.

...

Thunderpaw did not notice a golden dappled tom entering the den a while later, nor did she hear him settle down next to her, nor did she feel him grooming her pelt.

"I'm sorry, Thunderpaw," murmured the tom in her ear. "I realised what pain I had caused you; and I miss you. I know you're asleep, but please forgive me. I still love you, with all my heart."

* * *

 **So, this chapter was a little special, because I had to put what happened in the real series. If you hadn't understood yet, the sentences or paragraphs put in [brackets] are what was really written in the first book of the first series.** **The rest was written by me.**

 **And I just realised I hadn't done a disclaimer for this story! So her it is:**

 **Disclaimer: I, Lightningfire, do not own warriors. Erin Hunter does!**

 **QOTD: Do you think I should continue putting the book sentences in [brackets] or should I just try to rewrite it all? Really differently from the book?**

 **I hope you liked this chapter! Until next time,**

 **~Lightningfire**


End file.
